Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Live)

Chronique

With a driving bassline, tambourines, and a surging, one-chord wonder riff that bear a more-than-passing resemblance to Iggy Pop's classic "Lust for Life," Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" is one of the most immediate -- if not creative -- singles to come out of the garage rock revival of the early 2000s. Jet only steal from the best, but they do add something of their own identity along the way. Singer Cameron Muncey's shredded, nasal voice recalls countless rock singers (including his contemporary Jack White), but his delivery and the song's flirtatious subject matter do help separate the song somewhat from its looming influences. "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" is utterly simple, confident, and brimming over with energy; on the quieter sections of its verses, you can hear the band's amps buzz, ready for the next onslaught. Unlike some of the relatively more forward-thinking garage rock revivalists, who try to bring something a little arty or different to the sonic touchstones of the '60s and '70s, Jet distill the best feel-good moments of that era into one almost frighteningly catchy single. Aside from the band's own youthful energy, the most modern thing about the song might be the girl herself: with her "big black boots/long brown hair/she's so sweet with her/get back stare," she is presented as more than a little tough, and more than enough of a match for the singer. Whether "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" is creatively bankrupt, or just an extreme example of how all music is influenced by what came before it, is up for debate (and may even depend on your mood). Either way, the song is impossible to ignore.

© Heather Phares /TiVo